A dark day for the trading card industry.
The Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) are reportedly giving their licenses to Fanatics in 2026, because Topps didn't want to match their offer which is pending an approval from Shareholders next week Wednesday.[1]
If approved, Fanatics would need to build a manufacturing facility from scratch because they've never produced trading cards.
This would be both bad and good news for collectors, because fans will be nostalgic for Topps' trademark inserts, and that would potentially lead to a frenzy for their previously released products.
Coincidentally, Panini's current license from the National Football League (NFL) is set to expire in 2026. It's not clear if Topps let their MLB and MLBPA licenses expire in 2026 because they're pursuing a license from the NFL.
No matter what happens, Topps wouldn't be completely out of the trading card business because they hold various other licenses from Major League Soccer (MLS), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), and various non-sports franchises.
Editors opinions: I doubt Fanatics can match the quality of Topps (or even Panini for that matter); if that's the case, I'll sparingly purchase baseball cards, and shift the rest of my funds to Pokemon Trading Card Game.
Sources:
- "MLB Set to Give Exclusive Trading Card License to Fanatics, Ending 70-Year Run for Topps." Darren Rovell. ActionNetwork.com. August 19, 2021 at 03:39 PM EDT. Retrieved August 19, 2021.